The appearance and integrity of natural stone tiles and articles may become easily deteriorated by contact with water, dirt and grit, and chemical and cleaning substances. Natural stone is often quite porous and should be sealed to prohibit the penetration of water, dirt, and chemical substances. Additionally, natural stone may be subject to efflorescence wherein water soluble salts may form deposits on the surface over time.
Commercial sealers exist for the purpose of controlling the appearance and integrity of natural stone surfaces however these products are often only effective over a short term and must be re-applied periodically. These products may not fully protect the natural stone surface for even relatively short exposures to water, household cleaners and other reagents where permanent dulling or deterioration of the natural stone surface may occur. Further, commercial sealers may not offer abrasion or scratch resistance to the natural stone surface as well from abrasive materials such as may be expected from normal floor traffic or from abrasive cleaning products.
Commercial sealers may enhance the color properties and other aspects of natural stone tiles and articles however these aspects can fade over time as the effectiveness of the sealers diminish. Commercial sealers are generally used only after the natural stone tiles or natural stone articles are installed for use.
Further problems that persist with the currently available commercial sealers include: one, the inability of properly controlling wicking of the sealer into the stone and, two, control of the final appearance of the sealer once the sealer has been cured. The visual appearance of the sealer is directly related to the control of wicking mentioned above and other considerations. A third problem is the control of exudates on various types of natural stone. Excessive exudates negatively affect the adhesion of the sealants to the stone and the final appearance of the stone. These problems have been unsuccessfully dealt with in the prior art.
Therefore, what is needed are sealants and methods of use for natural stone tiles and articles that give a permanent solution to the problems stated above.